BTW:In the great Beatles Gear book - it is written there that Johns Ric, Stuarts amp and Pauls Höfner bass were bought in Hamburg on installement plans. Will you believe that? Some british Rockers who are in Hamburg for a gig of some weeks get an amp for 2000 DM on an installement??? I can`t imagine that. Any ideas???

BTW:In the great Beatles Gear book - it is written there that Johns Ric, Stuarts amp and Pauls Höfner bass were bought in Hamburg on installement plans. Will you believe that? Some british Rockers who are in Hamburg for a gig of some weeks get an amp for 2000 DM on an installement??? I can`t imagine that. Any ideas???

[A]:...I'll never forget that night at Litherland after they returned [from Hamburg]. I was chatting to the girls at the back of the hall. Bob announces 'Direct from Hamburg, The Beatles' and they started with 'Long Tall Sally' which Paul sang. I'll never forget it, it was so loud and piercing, and then they belted the song out. The crowd went wild, and the girls ran from the back of the hall to the stage, leaving me on my own. They started screaming -I'd never seen it before; no one had.

I had my trademark white suit and these lads were scruffy. Paul had a brown tweed jacket; they all had smelly leathers with fur trim and they did stink. John had ripped jeans. They were a right mess, Paul had a red guitar with three strings on it, and it wasn't even plugged in. John hit his amp with a hammer to get it going. What on earth was going on?

They were different. Paul sang 'Oh My Soul' and 'Long Tall Sally', and then John would do Gene Vincent's 'Dance in the Street' and George would do 'Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby' and then they would all do 'Searching' together. No other groups do this. There would be one singer and backing singers, but they had three of them doing solos and then singing three-part harmonies together. However, I then made my famous quote: 'They'll never last'. How wrong was I? I say that the world never saw the real Beatles, the greatest rock 'n' roll band ever known..."....

The Solid 7 modifications are all very strange. Trying to get a grip on them here.

The initial guitar had the pick-ups including the controls mounted on the scratch-board. I think that is pretty weird already, but that`s the way it was. This is what it looked on August 17, 1960 (during the audition on May 10 he seems not have had the guitar yet, he plays a acoustic guitar there):

For the famous photo session at Heiligengeistfeld etc. in November 1960 Paul features John`s guitar, no sight of the Solid 7.

On February 12, 1961 the Solid 7 has changed quite a bit - the scratch-board is gone and with it the pick-up`s and controls. Thus this once electric guitar has become an acoustic one. Except that Paul has added the Roger/Höfner Pick-up that has been identified in this thread.BWT this article here http://www.liverpoolbeat.com/articles/index.php/the-beatles/paul-mccartney/250-paul-mccartney-and-the-piano-guitar claims that Paul fitted a small Selmer microphone by the bridge and even shows a photo of one, even though it is clearly not the item in the photo of Paul with his Solid 7. Maybe there is some truth about the Selmer microphone story and one like it WAS used by Paul on a guitar, just not this one at this time.Also noteable is the dark strip underneath the strings between the neck and the bridge. What is this? Without the scratch-board (or is it called pick-guard?) we should see the plain wood of the guitar body here, not this! Is it a hole or something put ON the body?

As you probably know, I wrote an article about this guitar, mainly thanks to the fact that I got a guitar like that one, an Elpico AC-52, FUMA type pickup + German cable, a 'black plastic strip', Selmer RL2 microphone and even three piano strings. You can see the photos at several posts on this forum...

...The initial guitar had the pick-ups including the controls mounted on the scratch-board...

It's a Royal PP-2 assembly made by Egmond. In fact, is the first model of the Royal PP-2 assembly, discontinued in 1961 for the second one, i.e., the one with two pickups, but now with only two knobs plus two slides...

The pickups and the "plastic strip" are one-in-a-piece. The plastic strip on my Rosetti Solid 7 is white, while the one on McCartney's Solid 7 is black. That is why looks like a "hole" on top of guitar once lose the pickups, seen at The Casbah photos dated February 1961, and those Top Ten photos dated Spring 1961. I don't know if I have rightly explained myself...

...Thus this once electric guitar has become an acoustic one. Except that Paul has added the Roger/Höfner Pick-up that has been identified in this thread...

Correct. With a German type cable. So..., was the guitar on that session really plugued into an amp?? Some witnesses from their gigs in Merseyside area during end December 1960 and January 1961, confirmed that McCartney's guitar was not plugued at all into an amp. Why?? Perhaps that German plug was the reason...

I think there is a mistake in that story. Had McCartney a small pickup fitted by the bridge at those Casbah photos?? Yes, he had. Had McCartney a Selmer microphone at those Casbah photos?? Yes, he had. But the pickup fitted by the bridge was a FUMA type one -with German cable, this is important- and the Selmer -RL2 model- was in front of his mouth... to sing... I think the confussion comes from this fact...

..Also noteable is the dark strip underneath the strings between the neck and the bridge. What is this? Without the scratch-board (or is it called pick-guard?) we should see the plain wood of the guitar body here, not this! Is it a hole or something put ON the body?...

Cfr. supra. That dark strip is the "black plastic strip" of the Royal PP-2 pickup assembly -white plastic strip in my Rosetti Solid 7. You can even see the "lines" left by the pickups once unglued...

...Then in April 1961 Paul uses the Solid 7 again for a photo session. But the pick-up seems to have changed yet again!...

Correct: DeArmond type pickup. And the guitar is fitted with six strings again, i.e., a regular guitar. No more a three -piano- strings bass...

There are still a few misteries about this guitar, but I recently found what I suspected two years ago: McCartney didn't get the guitar by 30 June 1960, as his HP contract states, but by beginning-middle June. What does this mean?? Amongst other facts, this means that McCartney's Solid 7 was firstly played by him at Grosvenor and/or Neston gigs...

As you probably know, I wrote an article about this guitar, mainly thanks to the fact that I got a guitar like that one, an Elpico AC-52, FUMA type pickup + German cable, a 'black plastic strip', Selmer RL2 microphone and even three piano strings. You can see the photos at several posts on this forum...

I saw that you wrote an article but wasn`t able to read the article itself as I don`t have that magazine. Would love to though - does it happen to be online somewhere?

The pickups and the "plastic strip" are one-in-a-piece. The plastic strip on my Rosetti Solid 7 is white, while the one on McCartney's Solid 7 is black. That is why looks like a "hole" on top of guitar once lose the pickups, seen at The Casbah photos dated February 1961, and those Top Ten photos dated Spring 1961. I don't know if I have rightly explained myself...

Correct. With a German type cable. So..., was the guitar on that session really plugued into an amp?? Some witnesses from their gigs in Merseyside area during end December 1960 and January 1961, confirmed that McCartney's guitar was not plugued at all into an amp. Why?? Perhaps that German plug was the reason...

The whole set-up looks very crude. There are only 3 strings instead of (a bass`s) four, they are not spaced evenly (must have been odd to play) plus the pickup seems to be shifted slightly downward, like not being fitted in the correct position.

I think there is a mistake in that story. Had McCartney a small pickup fitted by the bridge at those Casbah photos?? Yes, he had. Had McCartney a Selmer microphone at those Casbah photos?? Yes, he had. But the pickup fitted by the bridge was a FUMA type one -with German cable, this is important- and the Selmer -RL2 model- was in front of his mouth... to sing... I think the confussion comes from this fact...

Thanks for clearing that up - the photo and info in that article made it seem that that microphone is a rather small item as for to fit onto a guitar bridge somehow but in fact it is much bigger and indeed a singing microphone as pointed out by you and seen here as well.

There are still a few misteries about this guitar, but I recently found what I suspected two years ago: McCartney didn't get the guitar by 30 June 1960, as his HP contract states, but by beginning-middle June. What does this mean?? Amongst other facts, this means that McCartney's Solid 7 was firstly played by him at Grosvenor and/or Neston gigs...

I didn`t even know there is a contract (maybe I should have checked "Beatles Gear"). How did you figure out that he got it even beforehand the contract?

... Absolutly - another minor mystery solved!The whole set-up looks very crude. There are only 3 strings instead of (a bass`s) four, they are not spaced evenly (must have been odd to play) plus the pickup seems to be shifted slightly downward, like not being fitted in the correct position...

Yes. IMHO, that off-center position is to accomodate the pickup braces to the bridge holes, i.e., to secure the pickup to the bridge by means of the bridge holes and the pickup braces...

... Thanks for clearing that up - the photo and info in that article made it seem that that microphone is a rather small item as for to fit onto a guitar bridge somehow but in fact it is much bigger and indeed a singing microphone as pointed out by you and seen here as well...

... I didn`t even know there is a contract (maybe I should have checked "Beatles Gear"). How did you figure out that he got it even beforehand the contract?...

Because the son of somebody who was at those gigs in Grosvenor told us a few months ago. Please: see eighth post in this thread...The date of the HP contract is the "official" date of purchase. But it wasn't unusual to get the goods before, by means of a deposit. And: McCartney had returned back from Johnny Gentle's tour on end May, with some money into his pockets. Add to this a good amount of booked gigs in Grosvenor and Neston for June and July. Besides, his 18th birthday was on 18 June. Good moment to get a new -this time electric- guitar!!

As seen in other photos from that day (August 17, 1960) the set-up was John: Club 40, Paul: Solid 7, George: Futurama, Stu: Höfner PresidentIt can`t be the President (cause Stu is holding it) nor the Futurama (cause it had a massive head-plate), so that leaves the Club 40 or the Solid 7.

As seen in other photos from that day (August 17, 1960) the set-up was John: Club 40, Paul: Solid 7, George: Futurama, Stu: Höfner PresidentIt can`t be the President (cause Stu is holding it) nor the Futurama (cause it had a massive head-plate), so that leaves the Club 40 or the Solid 7.

Since it's positioned on the side of the drums where Lennon's guitar was plugged in, I'd guess the Club 40...

This very valuable info was stated on this thread by Brian Griffiths, guitar player with Derry Wilkie and The Seniors at Kaiserkeller until 30 September 1960.

That would explain some facts...

I think I read somewhere an interview with Paul McCartney where he stated that his Rosetti got out of work a few weeks after going to Hamburg on 17 August 1960. Does anyone know something about this interview??

This very valuable info was stated on this thread by Brian Griffiths, guitar player with Derry Wilkie and The Seniors at Kaiserkeller until 30 September 1960.

That would explain some facts...

I think I read somewhere an interview with Paul McCartney where he stated that his Rosetti got out of work a few weeks after going to Hamburg on 17 August 1960. Does anyone know something about this interview??

Thanks in advance and best wishes!!

Xosé

I read here that he bought it especially for the Hamburg trip. If you're thoughts are true, the guitar didn't last very long.